The Trouble with Redheads
by StaciexStarr
Summary: Twins Novalee and Haylirain have just moved to Japan and have to adjust to life living with their uncle and deadbeat dad. Their lives take some strange turns once the Sohma family enters their lives.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first fanfiction so all feedback is appreciated. Also I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters, , I hope you like it. _

Novalee sat in the back of the limousine staring out the window into one of the many cities of Japan. It was all so new and frightening. She brushed her waist length red hair away from her pale face. She looked over to see her twin sister Haylirain playing with her cell phone. Pulling out her own cell, she texted 'it will be ok'. Hayli opened the message and looked over to her sister, their blue eyes meeting. The two girls were different in every way and it was simple to tell the identical twins apart. Novalee had long hair normally worn with clips and bows and was a rule abiding girly type. Haylirain on the other hand had choppy shoulder length hair, a goth style and didn't care much for authority but had a big heart. The two were as different as night and day but remained very close.

The limousine pulled up to a two story traditional style house. Grabbing their messenger bags and letting the driver attend to the other bags, the two girls headed to the front door. It flew open to reveal a sturdy man with blond hair and kind green eyes wearing a black business suit. "Uncle Ronny!" the girls shouted, running to hug him.

"Hi girls! I hope the trip went alright. I'm sorry I wasn't there to pick you up at the airport. I had to finish making arrangements here." He said hugging them before gesturing to the house. "Here, let me show you to your rooms so you can get situated." He led them up the grand staircase across from the door. At the top there were two doors. "Hayli, yours is the one of the left. Nova, yours is the right. I wish I could stay and catch up but I have to attend a business meeting. The bills don't pay themselves. If you need anything, just give me a call. Love you girls." he said before heading back down the staircase.

"Uncle Ronny!?" Nova shouted after him. He turned to look at his niece. "Where is our dad?"

He pointed to the hallway to the left. "David is in his office, last door at the end of the hall." He said hesitantly. He left, leaving the girls alone to their thoughts.

Novalee looked to Haylirain, grasped her hand and headed down the hall. She knocked so lightly on the door that she could barely hear it. "Come in." A man's voice called from the other side. The two girls shuffled in. There was a man with shaggy blond hair leaning over a desk, scribbling onto a paper.

"Dad?" Hayli asked. The man looked up from his work, pushing his glasses up as he did so. His blue eyes focusing on the teenage girls. " Oh I didn't realize you two were here yet. I guess I lost track of time. Mitsuru, my editor has been on my about my deadline." he said, looking back down at his work.

"So the literature job is going well?" Nova asked

"Mmhmm." he muttered, scribbling some more notes down.

"Well, we still have to unpack, so we're gonna go." Haylirain stated, leading her sister to the door.

"Bye Dad." Nova mumbled over her shoulder. He just waved without looking up. Haylirain stomped to her room slamming the door behind her. Novalee stared at her sisters plain white door and sighed. 'At least it is better than living with Mom.' she thought before opening the door to her new bedroom. It was a large room with a tatami mat to the left with blue blankets. There was a three level bookshelf in the far right corner next to a wooden dresser. A short desk sat off to the left side with a cushion placed beneath it. She opened the door on the right side of the room and noticed it was a closet with most of her clothes already placed in it. She assumed it was thanks to Uncle Ronny's maids. Going over to the dresser she pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a tank top and went in search of the nearest restroom.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Novalee woke up to the sound of a crash on the other side of the wall. A knock sounded on her door before Uncle Ronny walked in. "You up?" He asked. She nodded and rolled off her new bed. "Get ready for school." He smiled as she looked at him in disbelief. He handed her a uniform that reminded her of a sailor .

"We have to go to school today?" she asked, hoping she was still asleep and this was a bad dream.

He nodded. "Yep, you both start your first day at Kaibara High School." Nova finally understood why she was woken to crashing sounds and resisting the urge to make some of her own. Ronny shut the door, allowing his niece some privacy. With a sigh she changed into the blue and white uniform. Much to her discomfort she realized that this skirt on this uniform was way too short. Grabbing a pair of black tights from her dresser she slipped them on and tied her hair up with a matching black ribbon. She grabbed her bag and met up with her sister in the hall.

She couldn't resist the urge to chuckle when she saw her twin. Haylirain was wearing the uniform but had rainbow knee socks, two wrists full of black bracelets, and black boots. She was definitely the rebel. The girls headed down to have breakfast and a short drive later reached the school. They walked in and went straight to the office. Novalee was extremely thankful that they had taken Japanese as their language class in their old school, which she was missing terribly at the moment. What they hadn't learned from school Uncle Ronny had been more than happy to teach the girls over the years, having lived in Japan most of his adult life. The secretary was nice enough as she gave them their schedules, until the two realized they were in separate classes.

"They can't do this to us!" She shouted.

"This really sucks Hayli, what are we supposed to do?" Nova agreed. They went back in and attempted to convince the secretary that to put them together, but it was useless. "Well, that means one thing. We are going to have to try and make new friends." Nova said with an uneasy smile.

"I don't want to make new friends." Hayli pouted. Nova gave her sister another smile before heading to her new classroom.

She walked in, her heart pounding. She tried to focus on the teacher who gave her an assigned seat near an angry looking guy with orange hair and a smiling brunette. The teacher took attendance and called out her name, "Ryan, Novalee." She stood up and all eyes were on her. She could feel her face turning red and her stomach doing flips. She avoided all eye contact and sat back down staring intensely at her desk.

* * *

><p>It was lunch time and Novalee and Haylirain were eating yakisoba at a table by themselves. "I hate it here." Hayli growled.<p>

"I know, but it will get better." Nova said hopefully. She was wishing with her whole heart that life here would be better than life back in the United States. It had to be.

"Doubt it." Hayli grumbled. The bells rang and the girls separated with hesitation.

Novalee was halfway down the hall when she realized it wasn't the right hall. She flipped around, her messenger bag swinging with her body, slipping off her shoulder and slamming into someone. "OhmygoshImsosorry!" She blurted out, looking up to see a lean guy with orange hair, matching eyes, and a scowl. He handed her bag back to her without giving her a second glance. "thank you." she mumbled and paused. "you have really pretty eyes."

"What!?" she had taken him completely by surprise.

"I like your hair too. I'm Novalee." she said smiling up at him. She knew he probably thought she was crazy, but if she was going to convince her sister and herself that life here could be good then she had to be brave and talk to people. This orange haired boy was a person so she was going to do her best to be his friend.

He opened his mouth to reply but didn't get the chance. Without warning a tall blond woman came out of nowhere and punched him in the head. "Damnit Kyo we are tired of waiting!" She shouted.

"Watch it, you damn yankee!" Kyo shouted back. Novalee took a step backward, concerned for her safety. Maybe befriending this guy wasn't such a good idea.

A brunette with large blue eyes and a girl with long wavy dark hair and dark eyes appeared from a doorway. 'They look just like dolls.' Nova thought to herself.

"Who might you be?" The dark haired girl asked, noticing her.

"Oh, umm, Im Novalee." she announced, nervously.

"Hello Novalee-san. Im Tohru Honda." The brunette with large eyes greeted her "And this is Saki Hanajima-chan." she gestured to the dark haired girl. She continued on with a smile. "It's so nice to meet you. We hope you like it here very much." Her smile was kind but slightly unnerving.

"Umm. Thank you Toh...Honda-san." She corrected, remembering her Japanese etiquette lessons.

"Yo, is this the new girl?" The blond asked, ignoring Kyo crude remarks to her.

"This is Novalee-san" Tohru told her, still smiling.

"Oh you can just call me Novalee, or Nova, or whatever, it really doesn't matter to me."

"If Kyoko were here, it would have been Nova-chan. By the way I'm Arisa Uohani." Said the blond.

"Who is Kyoko?" Nova asked.

They all just looked at her with sad smiles. "Kyoko is Tohru's mom and the one who named me Uo-chan." Arisa said.

"Aww that's cute." Nova blurted out. She noticed Tohru and Uo-chan giggle at her comment before heading into the classroom that was down the right hallway.

* * *

><p>"How was your first day of school? Did you make any new friends?" They were back home and sitting at the dinner table with Uncle Ronny.<p>

"I made a few...I think." Novalee commented.

"I had some guy in my class stalk me." Haylirain added.

"That doesn't sound too good at all." Uncle Ronny said, concerned for Hayli.

"I almost punched him in the face." She said matter-of-factly, surprising their uncle.

"Maybe he just thinks your cute or something. I'm sure he is probably nice." Nova commented with a smile.

"Pshh, whatever he is weird. So Uncle Ronny, hows the technology company business doing?" Haylirain asked.

"Very well, thank you for asking. But after working all day I would rather not discuss business at the dinner table." He said sternly.

They all turned as someone entered the room, that wasn't a member of the staff. "Dad!" Novalee cried out, excited that her father was going to join them.

"It's about time. We are almost done eating." Hayli criticized.

"I just came down to grab a plate. I have far too much work to do to just sit around and chat." He commented, piling some food on a plate and went back upstairs.

Haylirain slammed her fist on the table and stormed up to her room. Novalee looked to her uncle who smiled sadly and looked down at his plate in defeat.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters. I only own my OC's. _

**_This chapter is dedicated to shadowdemantenma (Deanna) she is my friend and my little sister, and also the co-creator of Haylirain. Luv ya_**

It was the next morning and once again Novalee woke to the sounds of crashing, only this time it was accompanied by cursing. She wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep but she knew it was impossible. Wiping the sleep from her eyes she forced herself to get out of bed. She changed into her school unifrom, adding a pair of torn tights and clipped a small black bow into her hair. Grabbing her school bag she headed downstairs to breakfast. A few minutes later her sister joined her. Haylirain was wearing black tripp pants with purple straps, a black straightjacket hoodie, arms full of black and purple bracelets, purple eye shadow and a smug look. "You are going to get in so much trouble." Novalee commented, with just a hint of laughter.

"Good." Hayli announced grabbing a bowl for cereal. After they were finished eating they decided to walk to school, since it was only a few minutes away. It attracted a lot less attention than a limousine.

They entered the building and all eyes were on them, so much for not attracting attention. "Nova-chan!" She heard some people calling to her and noticed Tohru, Uo-chan and Hana walking towards them.

"Hey Toh...Honda-san, Uo-chan and Hana-chan. This is my sister Haylirain." She said introducing them.

"Hello Rain-chan" Tohru said with that unnerving smile. Nova noticed Hana admiring Hayli's clothes and was about to say something when a teacher walked up.

"Miss Ryan!" The teacher exclaimed.

"Yes?" Both girls answered sweetly.

"What are you wearing?" He demanded turning to Haylirain.

"Clothes." She answered, as if it were obvious.

"Those..Those...garments are not school regulation. Why are you not wearing your uniform?" He asked, his irritation rising.

"I didn't feel like it." she smirked. Novalee swore she saw the teachers eye twitch as her sisters comment.

"If you do not obey the rules then I have no choice but to send you home." He told her, trying desperately to keep his composure.

Hayli looked over to Nova and then around and that the group that was now surrounding them. "I'm not going home." She stated calmly to the teacher.

"Principals office now!" He demanded, his face red and shaking with anger.

"Ok." Hayli said sweetly with a smile and skipped off to the principals office.

"She's so weird." Nova mumbled to herself, shaking her head and smiling in disbelief at her sister.

"Who was that?" A male voice asked. She turned to see the orange haired Kyo standing next to Tohru and staring after the goth skipping down the hall.

"That was Nova-chans twin sister, Rain-chan." Hana said quietly. He looked from Novalee to the where Hayli had just disappeared down the hall and then back to Novalee.

"Are you alright Kyo?" Nova asked, his dumbfounded expression worrying her.

"Huh? Yeah im fine." he said snapping back to reality. The bell rang and they headed off to class.

* * *

><p>During lunch Novalee met up with Haylirain, who was still wearing her black and purple attire. "Wow, Im surprised they let you stay." Nova admitted.<p>

"I threatened to have the electricity turned off, besides we're rich. Authority loves rich people." Hayli said smugly.

Nova began laughing. "You do realize that we aren't rich, Uncle Ronny is. And he owns an electronic company, not the electric company right?"

"I know that, and you know that. But the school doesn't know that." She replied, smiling.

"Very true, but you have issues you need to work on." Nova said still laughing. She calmed down before switching topics. "So have you talked to anyone yet, this isn't faculty?" Hayli looked down at her plate. "Hayli, you can't not make friends here. Get up." Nova demanded getting to her feet.

'What?" Hayli asked, wide eyed.

"Get up!" Hayli stood at her sisters command. "Now, you are going to talk to someone.."

"What! No!" Hayli refused, shaking her head fiercely.

"Yes." Nova told her in a tone that put a stop to any confrontation about the matter. She closed her eyes, spun around and pointed in a random direction. "There."

"Please, no?" Hayli begged. Without a word Nova pushed her sister in the direction of the lone person sitting at a table. Nova roughly sat her sister down across from the boy with tousled white hair with black undertone, a bored look and lots of leather accessories.

Nova sat next to her sister to keep her from running away. "Hello. I'm Novalee and this is my sister Haylirain. We're new here. What's your name?" Nova said cheerfully.

The boy looked from her to Hayli. "I'm Haru."

"It's nice to meet you Haru." She said, staring down her sister.

"Ummm...I like your necklaces." Hayli managed to get out.

"Thanks. I make th-" He was cut off as he was jumped from behind. "Haru! You made friends without me!" A small figure exclaimed from the back of Haru. The figure was an adorable boy who had short blond hair, big brown eyes and was wearing the girls school uniform. "I'm Momiji! Its very nice to meet you!" He said, pulling the girls into a soft hug. After releasing them he pulled on Haru's arm. "We have to go. We can't be late for our meeting. Bye girls!" He said waving and leading Haru, who also waved goodbye.

"That was weird." Hayli commented, staring after the pair. Nova could only nod in agreement. "And you want me to make friends with people like that?" She turned to her sister as if she were insane.

"I just want you to make friends. You can't always be alone Hayli." the bell rang and Novalee walked out.

As Nova disappeared beyond the door Hayli sighed and looked down, noticing a black messenger bag with cute little animal stickers, Nova's bag. Hayli snatched it up and rushed out the door. She looked both directions, but didn't see her sister. Picking a direction she ran, unable to remember where her sisters classroom was. She couldn't care less if she was late to class, but she didn't want Nova to get in trouble for not having her materials. Letting out a yell of frustration she turned around and stumbled backwards. Standing before her was a tall svelte guy with silver hair and purple eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" he asked.

Taking a chance, she asked, "Do you know Novalee Ryan?" she looked up at him in desperation.

"She is in my class." he stated.

Hayli let out a breath of relief. "Could you do me a big favor and give this to her. She left it behind in the cafeteria." She informed him, holding up the bag. The boy looked from the bag to her for a moment before nodding and taking the bag. Hayli graciously thanked him and headed down the hall to her classroom.

Novalee was sitting at her desk listening to one of Uo-chan's old gang story in awe when someone approached her. She stared up at the mysterious silver haired male standing before her. "Excuse me?" He asked, in a low voice.

"Yes?" She asked, nervously. Her cheeks turning pink.

"A girl in black asked me to give this to you." He said, setting the bag on her desk.

"Oh thank you so much!" she exclaimed, clutching the bag to her chest. She looked up at the boy. "What's your name?"

"I'm Yuki Sohma." He said with a gentle smile.

"Yuki..." She said returning the smile. "I'm Novalee. You said a girl in black gave this to you?"

"Yes. She is your sister?" He tilted his head slightly. Nova nodded, beaming with happiness. It probably didn't seem important to anyone else but Nova knew how much courage it must have taken Hayli to ask for help. She had a fear of asking for help or connecting with anyone. Even back in the United States it was difficult for Hayli to make friends. The only person she could connect to was Novalee. "Are you alright?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah, I just really love my sister." Nova told him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. I only own my characters. All reviews and feedback are welcome. Thank you :)_

It was Saturday afternoon and the girls were sitting in the living room playing cards. They were playing Slapjack, it had just enough violence for Haylirain to be content. The girls laughter and screams of excitement attracted the attention of the workers around the house, who kept peering in to see such a simple sight. "Hi girls. Having fun?" Uncle Ronny asked, strolling in.

"Hell yeah! I'm kicking her ass!" Hayli shouted, triumphantly. Novalee let out a chuckle.

"Got any big plans for tonight?" Ronny questioned.

"Not until I beat Hayli." Nova stated, teasingly.

"That will never happen!" Hayli argued playfully.

"You can't just stay here playing cards all night. You're young you should go have fun with your friens or see a movie or something." He scolded, gently. The girls turned their attention back to the game, laying down more cards at a quicker pace. "Don't ignore me!" Ronny cried, flabbergasted. Nova laid down a jack and got her hand slapped away by her sister who gleefully proceeded to snatch up all the cards. Pouting Nova lay another card down, determined to defeat Haylirain. The girls looked up and Ronny looked back as someone reached the bottom of the stairs, their dad. He looked over as the three stared at him, the air becoming thick. "David!" Ronny exclaimed happily, throwing an arm around his brothers shoulders.

David pushed up his glasses in irritation. "What is it? I have much to do today."

"Yeah, don't you have that work party to go to tonight?" Ronny said, leading David from the entryway and into the living room.

"It is not a party. It is a business gathering." David stated matter-of-factly.

"Do you know who likes parties?" Ronny asked, as if hinting to something.

"It's not-"

"Teenage girls!" Ronny exclaimed as if he were a host revealing the big prize on a game show that no one really wanted to be on. The two brothers stared at each other for a moment, Ronny with a big grin and David glowering. "You should take the girls with you. It will be a chance to spend some time with them and show them how successful you are."

"I hate parties." Hayli stated, not looking up from the card game, that had ultimately ceased by this point.

"We wouldn't want to intrude." Novalee added, uneasily.

"See the girls don't even want to attend. Now I still have much to do today." David said.

* * *

><p>"I really don't want to be here." Hayli growled. She was wearing a knee length black long sleeved dress with red and white embroidered designs along the neckline and sleeves. Her red hair was pulled back into a messy bun with her bangs hanging down. Anger filled her makeup darkened eyes. Novalee looked from her sister to all the men and women in suits and fancy dresses and shifted her weight uncomfortably. She was wearing a black spaghetti strap dress that reached mid-thigh. There was a light blue ribbon tied into a bow beneath her bust and a matching one that pulled her long hair into a ponytail, a few strands hung down framing her face. "Do you think this has bananas in it?" Hayli asked, holding up a yellow square, standing next to the desert table.<p>

"Let's hope not. I don't think anyone here would help if you had an allergic reaction."

The girls looked around the room at all of the writers filling the room and saw their father talking to some stiffs in suits. "I brought the cards if you want to play." Hayli suggested.

"Hayli, we actually have to behave ourselves. We can't be acting like a bunch of wild animals." Novalee lectured.

"I happen to be quite the animal lover." A man, with black hair, dark eyes and a smile, said appearing next to them.

"I bet you couldn't tell the difference between a fox and a red panda." Hayli chimed, referring to the girls favorite animals.

"I see that it's true what they say about redheads." The man said with a smirk.

"Hello. I don't believe we caught your name." Nova said, intervening with a false smile.

"Yeah, we need a name to give the morgue afterwards." Hayli mumbled, which received an elbow to the stomach from her sister.

"I'm Shigure Sohma. It's a pleasure to meet you lovely ladies." He said, extending his hand.

"I'm Novalee Ryan and this is my sister Haylirain." Nova said politely, shaking Shigure's hand.

"Ahh, you must be David's daughters."

"You know our dad?" Hayli asked, curiosity filling her voice.

"We are mere acquaintances. We have the same editor." He informed her.

"Oh." She said, her face dropping.

"Are you girls having any fun?" Shigure asked, changing the topic.

"This really isn't our kind of thing." Novalee admitted.

"I know what you mean. To be honest, this thing sees the light of day maybe a few times a year." He said gesturing to his suit, with a chuckle and a wink.

"Well I think you look very nice." Novalee commented, sincerely.

"He looks like the type of guy who preys on high school girls." Hayli muttered under her breath. Shigure began to laugh causing Hayli to glare at him.

"uh...well...ummm..." Novalee stuttered, unable to figure out how to react to the situation. Hayli stormed off causing Nova to chase after her, with an apologetic smile to the still smiling Shigure.

* * *

><p>"Hours later Hayli stormed into the house slamming the door behind her. "Did you have fun?" Ronny asked, looking up from the newspaper as the girls came in, their father following behind them.<p>

"Go to your room!" David shouted at Haylirain.

"I'm already going there dumbass!" She yelled back from the top of the stairs.

"What happened?" Ronny asked, now on his feet.

"Well..." Nova started.

"It's bad enough that she threw a tantrum in front of everyone! But then she had the audacity to throw a chair at one of my associates." David shouted in fury before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. A tick formed in Novalee's jaw before she rushed upstairs to her room. She threw herself on the bed, her eyes beginning to sting. She could hear Hayli destroying the room next door.

After a few minutes the sounds ceased and there was a light knock on the door as Hayli entered the room. She was wearing a black and red striped belly tank top, black tripp pants, boots, and black wristbands. "Get dressed." She told her.

"Why?"

Hayli smirked. "It's Saturday night."


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket. I only own my oc's._

**_I have a love/hate relationship with this chapter due to it's content but it is necessary to the story line. Also there will be more Fruits Basket characters in upcoming chapters. I promise._**

Hayli smirked, "It's Saturday night."

Novalee let out a sigh and chuckled before changing into an orange tank top and long black skirt that reached her black converse. The two girls snuck into the garage, ignoring the limousines, Haylirain chose a sleek red porsche. "Hayli, are you sure about this?"

"Chill. Besides I already got the keys." she replied, unlocking the car doors and climbing into the drivers seat. Taking a deep breath Nova climbed in next to her sister. They were both silent until they felt they were far enough from the house, then they slipped in a C.D. Hayli had in her bag. As The Bloodhound Gang pounded through the speakers, all the girls worries from the move, their parents, and school seemed to disappear into the night.

After a while the girls saw groups of teenagers. Hayli parked the car and they got out, following the crowd into the club. The rave music was loud and everyone was letting loose. The building was filled with teenagers, flashing lights and no sense of responsibilty. "Do you think this is a good idea?" Nova asked, after seeing the way some of the girls were dancing with boys and other friends.

"Of course. It's a great idea." Hayli said, shrugging off her sisters concern and leading the way through the sea of body glitter and grinding bodies. "Besides, we totally deserve a night out with everything we have been through. Relax. Have fun. Make friends." She said with a smirk, while eyeing some boys who were really attractive, but obviously trouble

Novalee took a deep breath and inhaled too many scents to decipher any one. Hayli was right, they did deserve a night out. The girls had been through so much recently and could definitely relive some stress. Nova looked around and realized that her sister was gone. Pulling out her phone she hit the speed dial one. "Where are you?" She shrieked into the phone as soon as the rings stopped.

"Having fun. Try it." Hayli replied before hanging up. Rolling her big blue eyes, Nova resisted the urge to call back and looked around for someone she could talk to.

She was unable to spot anyone before someone blocked her path. "I haven't see you here before." It was a guy with slicked black hair and a cheesy grin. She had no interest at his attempt to gain her attention.

"Are you sure?" She asked, trying to look around him.

"I would definitely remember someone as hot as you. I really like Americans." He said, leaning towards her.

"That's nice." She replied, becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with the situation and taking a step backwards.

"So beautiful, what's your name?" He reached out, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Joe." She said flatly, looking directly into his brown eyes.

"Isn't that a guy's name?" He asked, confused.

She nodded. "I'm a female impersonator." She took this chance to walk away towards a group of comfortable looking chairs and sofas. It was basically empty due to everyone dancing, except for one girl. She had long thigh length white hair with bangs cut straight across her gray-blue eyes. She wore black leather skinny jeans, a neon purple long sleeve shirt, a black vest, and knee high black boots. She seemed as if she were concentrating very hard, staring into the crowd. "May I sit here?" Nova asked, gesturing to the chair opposite the girl. She nodded, turning her gaze to Nova."I didn't disturb you. Did I?"

"Not at all." The girl stated in a sweet voice.

"I'm Novalee."

"Shui Yin Jiang."

"Is that Chinese?"

"Yes. And you are American?"

"I am indeed. My sister and I just moved here to live with my dad and uncle."

"My parents moved here a year and a half ago. I had to come with them." The girls continued to talk, and talked some more until Novalee realized that the club had become quieter.

Looking around, she realized that most of the people had already left. "Oh no. I have to find my sister!" She exclaimed, jumping up. Shui followed her as they looked for the other redhead, which wasn't difficult.

Hayli was on a sofa surrounded by a group of misfit looking types and leaning on the lap of some guy. He had light brown hair with bangs hanging down and the back spiked up. He had light blue eyes that gleamed with mischief. He wore a black wife beater, black jeans, a gray vest and a black hat with a white skull. He had on two silver necklaces and a matching belt. There was a black dragon tattoo on his upper left arm, bandages on his left cheek and a cigarette in his mouth. He had one hand on Hayli's waist and the other one he used to remove his cigarette long enough to take a drink from a bottle. The air around the entire group reeked of smoke and alcohol. "Hey Nova!" Hayli called out, when she saw her sister.

"Hey, I think we should get going." Nova suggested, bobbing her head toward the exit.

"You made a friend!" Hayli cried out happily, noticing Shui for the first time. "I did too. This is Tenkai. He goes to our school." Hayli had turned back to the boy, staring dreamily into his face. Nova had to force herself not to gag.

"I'm gonna go, ok Nova." Shui said weakly. "Ill see you at school on Monday." They exchanged waves goodbye and Nova watched her leave, wishing that she could do the same.

"Hayli, we really need to get home." Nova said more strictly, turning her attention back to her love sick sister.

"Aww but why?" Hayli whined.

"Yeah. We want her to stay." Tenkai piped up, sneering at Nova. His friends interjecting their unwanted opinions as well.

"Well I want to go home." Novalee commented, raising her voice.

"She's stayin'." Tenkai demanded.

"Fine. But Im taking the car." Nova argued, pushing Hayli over enough to reach into her pocket. Her twin was too surprised to fight back. Nova jingled the keys in success and turned to walk out.

"Wait!" Hayli shouted. Nova looked back hoping her sister had come to her senses. "We both know you suck at driving." She paused. "Stay a while longer and then I'll take you home."

Nova watched her sister for a long moment and then around at the group of sneering faces. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively, unsure of what to do. She looked to Hayli hopeful, and then to Tenkai who blew a puff of smoke towards her like he didn't have a care in the world. "Please Hayli." Nova pleaded in desperation.

Hayli's smile faltered for just a second, then returned. "Come on Nova, just a little longer."

"I really want to go."

"Come on."

"No!" I'm going home." Nova said fiercely and turned and walked out. Completely aware of her surrounding Nova made her way to the red Porsche, climbed in and locked the doors. Sitting in the drivers seat she let out a deep sigh and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Of course she didn't want to leave her sister, but there was no way she was going to hang around those guys. They made her skin crawl. Nova checked the time on her phone: three fifteen in the morning. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. She felt her eyes begin to sting with tears she wanted so badly to shed, but refused. Instead she took a deep breath and raised her head. A sudden knock on the drivers side window caused her heart to leap into her throat and her to leap into the passenger seat. She noticed that it was Hayli and looked around to make sure no one else was with her. Nova scooted over and unlocked the door, locking them back once Hayli was in the vehicle."I thought you weren't coming."

"You would get caught without me." Hayli said, starting the car.

Neither girl said anything else as they drove until red and blue lights flashed behind them. "Pull over." Nova ordered, her heart pounding. Hayli hesitated, but did as she was told.

"License and registration." The officer ordered as he approached the window. Hayli retrieved her license from her bag and the registration from the glove-box, handing it to the police officer. He returned shortly. "You have no warrants out for you." That was a miracle in itself. "This vehicle belongs to Ronald Ryan." He said as he shined the flashlight into the car.

"That's our uncle." Nova piped up, mustering a fake smile. The officer stopped and leaned in slowly. That's when she could smell it too. Haylirain smelled like alcohol.

"Have you been drinking?" He demanded.

"I have ingested liquids today." Hayli replied.

"Any drugs or weapons in the vehicle?"

"Kinda."

"What do you mean by 'kinda'!?" Nova shouted at her sister, as the officer called for backup. As soon as he was finished he made Hayli get out of the car and handcuffed her wrists, leaning her over the hood before he did the same to Novalee. Not long after, a female officer arrived. She searched the girls while the male officer searched the vehicle. He found a pocket knife and pepper spray in Hayli's bag while the female found a butterfly knife, a throwing dagger and shuriken on Hayli herself. On Novalee they found nothing but took both girls down to the police station. They were put in a cell by themselves, while the officers filled out paperwork.

"You can't keep us forever!" Haylirain shouted, from behind the bars. She turned to her sister who was sitting on a bench with her head hung. "Whats wrong?"

Nova raised her head, glaring at her sister in disbelief. "Did you just ask 'whats wrong'?" Hayli stuttered but was unable to answer. "We are in jail! Do you realize that? You trashed Dad's party and you got lucky that guy didn't press charges. But then you managed to talk me into helping you sneak out, steal Uncle Ronnys expensive car and then you take some alcohol from a strange guy that could have been a murderer for all we know and then get us pulled over and arrested! And you have the nerve to ask me what's wrong!" Nova shouted, now standing in front of her sister and shaking in anger.

"Quiet down in there!" an officer demanded.

Nova shook her head at Hayli in disapproval before turning and sitting back down to wallow in shame. They sat in silence for a long time, until their cell was unlocked by an officer who was accompanied by another man.

"I'm extremely disappointed in both of you. Get in the car now and I'll deal with you later." Uncle Ronny was furious, which was a rather difficult thing to accomplish. The moment before the girls followed him out the police station door, Hayli was unable to resist making pig squeals, causing Ronny to grab her arm and yank her out.

Everyone was silent the entire ride home. Novalee stared out the window, angry and ashamed that she let it all happen. She wanted so bad to take it all back, but she desperatly wanted to pretend it never happened and just go to sleep. After they parked at home and headed up the front steps Nova peeked a glance at Uncle Ronny who immediately caught her tear filled eyes with his burning ones, causing her to look away in guilt.

Once they were inside the house and headed for the stairs more words were spoken. "Damnit Hayli! Nova! What the hell were you thinking!" The girls turned toward the kitchen to see their father smoking a cigarette and filled with rage. Hayli's face softened from her glower to surprise. Neither girl said anything. "Do you realize how this could affect Ronny and my careers? I can't afford for the two of you running around doing whatever the hell you want to!"

Nova's heart sank and Hayli's filled with rage. "Yeah, it's great to be home Dad. We missed you too." she spat sarcastically.

"You're both grounded!" Their father shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

A grin split across Hayli's face. "Ha ha ha ha ha fuck you." She commented before stomping up to her bedroom and slamming the door.

Novalee looked from the door, to her father and then to her uncle. Ronny let out a sigh and in a calm, but exhausted tone told her,"We will discuss this in the morning." She trudged up to her room, changed and laid on the bed, listening to the sounds of things being broken next door. After several tears had been shed and several more minutes passed the noise dissipated and sleep finally claimed her.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning the only thing unusual was that Uncle Ronny seemed as if he had gotten no sleep. There were dark circles under his eyes and a deep frown on his constant smiling face. Hayli was also quieter, but since it was the weekend she had slept in and awoken on her own accord before waking her sister. The three ate lunch, mostly in silence. After a maid had cleaned up the dirty dishes Ronny cleared his throat. "You understand that I cannot let last night go unpunished." Both girls nodded. "You two will be under strict supervision. You wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, eat supper and spend the evening in your rooms. At eleven you will be in bed." The girls mentally weighed their punishment. It didn't seem so horrible. "That also means no phone, no Ipod, no computer, no technology what so ever." The punishment just became so much worse.

"For how long?" Nova dared to ask. She wasn't obsessed with technology, but she also didn't have many friends in Japan and when Hayli wasn't keeping her distracted she got bored rather easily.

"Until I decide that you have been punished enough." He said. Again the girls nodded and the conversation was over. As the girls got up to leave he added one more thing. "At the end of today I'm going to inspect your rooms. I expect them to be spotless."

Hayli let out a drawn out sigh that transformed into a growl. Instead of going straight to her room Nova followed her sister into hers. Nova had to admit that her own room was disorganized. Hayli's room on the other hand was..."Oh my goodness!" Nova's mouth dropped in astonishment at the disaster. "Wait, what is that?" she squinted at the floor.

"What?" Hayli asked innocently.

"Is that glass? No, wait, porcelain?"

Hayli brought her hand up to her mouth to muffle her sneaky snickers. "Actually, they're plates." she admitted. Walking over to her dresser Hayli pulled out an expensive decorative plate and dropped it on the floor!

"Haylirain!"

"Well I ran out of things to break in here, so...yeah." She smirked. Nova shook her head in pure awe. After snatching some trash bags from the pantry, and some cookies, the girls filled the bags with broken pieces of plates and everything else that Hayli had found to break. After helping finish Hayli's room, Novalee cleaned her own bland room. After the girls and Ronny finished their supper, he inspected their rooms and seemed rather pleased with their work.

* * *

><p>The next day was the first time that Novalee didn't hear the sounds of crashing next door, especially on a school morning. She assumed it had something to do with Uncle Ronny threatening Hayli that if she continued to break things that she would never have contact with the outside world again. After pulling on some orange tights with a matching hair clip and her school uniform, Novalee headed downstairs to get breakfast. Hayli was already downstairs, munching on some toast. She wore a black straight jacket and black and white striped thigh highs with the school uniform skirt. "I see you're wearing at least part of your school uniform."<p>

"Yeah, well, it looks cute like this." Hayli replied. Nova knew that was only part of the truth. The other part was Hayli knew she had pushed Ronny to the edge and was attempting to follow some of the rules to keep from angering him further. Just because she hated following rules didn't mean that she wasn't still a good person.

Once at school and a few complaints later, mostly on Hayli's behalf, the girls parted ways to their classes. Nova was staring off into space when a nearby voice startled her. "I like the orange."

"huh? oh! Thanks." She said, turning to Tohru

"Look! You two match!" Uo-chan laughed, gesturing to Kyo who let out a grumble.

"I like Kyo's hair." Nova stated plainly, surprising the ex-yankee and himself, causing them both to stare at her.

"I think your hair is cool. You don't see much red around here." Uo said, regaining herself.

"It suits youi." Hana said quietly. Thanking them, Nova caught herself smiling.

At lunch the twins met up in the cafeteria. "So where to?" Nova asked.

"Hmmmm" Hayli scanned the lunch room crowd. "Oh there's Tenkai!" she exclaimed, waving to the boys from Saturday's club.

"But... I see Shui." Nova hurried, trying to avoid speaking to the partial cause of their grounding.

"Who?"

" Shui. I made friends with her."

"She can come to."

"But she already has a seat."

"Hayli! Come on!" Tenkai shouted, waving her over to the group of guys.

"Are you coming?" Hayli asked, beginning to head over to the boys.

Nova felt herself hesitate. "Actually, I think I'm going to go sit with Shui."

"Oh." Hayli's smile faded a little but she shrugged and headed over to the boys.

Nova let out a sigh and sat down across from the white haired girl listening to her she noticed Novalee she turned it off and smiled. "You don't mind if i sit here do you?" Nova asked, shyly.

"Not at all." Her voice sounded as if her mind were elsewhere.

"I don't think I really got a chance to ask, but your hair, it's not natural is it?"

At this Shui seemed to be snapped back to reality. "No. I bleach it to be more unique."

Nova couldn't help but giggle and even Shui let out a small whimsical laugh. "Do you know Haru...Haru...something?

Shui smiled. "No. I don't know Haru something."

"Oh, well he's got white hair too. I met him on my second day. Actually..." Nova turned to look around the room. "Ah! There he is." She pointed across the room to the two-tone haired boy at the vending machine. "He's really nice."

Shui had a faraway look in her gray-blue eyes. "Yes, but he is very strange."

"I thought you didn't know him."

"I don't." She stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The two girls chatted until the bell, not mentioning Haru again.

* * *

><p>The rest of the school day Nova sat deep in thought. Her mind was focused on Hayli and that dumb boy. She knew that he was nothing but trouble. Why couldn't her sister see that? Surely she wasn't so infatuated as to be blind! Grr!<p>

"Are you alright?"

Nova lifted her head to see the silver haired Yuki standing before her. "Why do you ask?"

"The bell has rang and you are tearing your hair out. I believe I also heard you growl." He seemed to be confused and somewhat amused at the same time.

Nova's face began turning a bright shade of red. "Uh yeah, sorry. I was just thinking." She admitted , standing and grabbing her bag.

"I hope everything works out alright." He told her with smile and a tilt of his head.

"Thanks." she managed to mumble, her face threatening to match her hair color, and rushed out of the classroom.

Haylirain had managed to ruin what was left of Novalee's good mood, with all of her talk about Tenkai once they were home. After finishing homework they went downstairs for dinner and Ronny gave them some good news. "Some boxes have arrived from the United States. Your stuff is here." Both girls squealed with happiness. When they had moved they were only able to bring a few bags, mainly clothes, and had been waiting on the rest of their belongings. "I'll have the maids take the boxes to your rooms."With this news, the girls were in a good mood and the three of them had a chatty dinner, talking about their day, although no one else was happy to hear Hayli talking a boy.

* * *

><p>Back in her room, Novalee found a stack of boxes. Grabbing the one off top she pulled it open to find stuffed animals and some quilts she had made with her grandmother back in the U.S. She arranged them on her bed and opened another box. "That is definitely not mine." She told herself, finding the box filled to the top with weapons of all sorts. "I'm surprised she managed to make it out the country." She commented, pushing the large box out of her room and directly into Hayli's.<p>

"Help me with this." Hayli said as her sister entered. She had been struggling with the bookshelf in the corner. After the girls finished moving it they moved the rest of the furniture in the room. The bed and dresser were against the far wall. The desk and bookshelf framed the door and the closet was on the left wall with the right wall bare. As Nova left, Hayli started covering the bare wall with posters of the band Insane Clown Posse. Back in her own room Nova emptied a few boxes full of books and covered her shelf before heading to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket (I wish i did) i only own my OC's. _

_Please read and review. I gladly take constructive criticism into mind and I like to know what the readers really think. Hope you enjoy ^^_

Over the next week and a half each girl spent more time with their new friends at school or doing their own things at home. Then one day while Nova was sitting in her room reading Uncle Ronny came home in a bad mood. He went to Hayli's room first. She could hear both people raising their voice. Apparently he had received a phone call from the school about Hayli's grades being to low. He wanted them raised and he wanted her to have more structure so she had to join a club. They argued for a while but he wouldn't budge on his decision. Nova heard him close her sisters door and her heartbeat quickened. Now it was her turn. She watched the doorknob turn slowly and the door opened. She looked at him, he looked tired. She waited, holding her breath. He let out a deep sigh. "Novalee, get your math grade up." Though he was stern she could tell that Haylirain wore him out. She nodded and he walked away, closing the door behind him.

The next day at lunch Nova was telling Shui about what happened. "I hope she listens to him. But I'm kind of surprised he's making her join a club." She admitted.

"I'm on the volleyball team." Shui told her. "You should join."

"No way! I'm terrible at sports and totally out of shape." Nova said.

Shui just shrugged. "Then I guess you need to worry about getting your math grade up."

"But math hates me!"

"Have you asked the teacher for help?"

"Yeah, but I just don't understand it." Nova let out a growl before slamming her head down in frustration. Both girls were quiet for a long moment.

"What about a tutor?" Shui suggested. Nova whipped her head up, throwing her friend a pitiful pleading look. "Nope. Im barely passing myself. I would doom us both."

It was back in the classroom that Novalee caught a break. "I just don't know what to do. I have to pass." She explained to Kyo.

"Have you asked all the smart people?" He asked her.

"I don't know that many people and I don't want to ask a stranger."

Kyo leaned his head in his hand, thinking "I guess I could teach you."

Nova stared at him long and hard before replying. "You make worse grades than me."

"I can do it. I just don't try. I know all the stuff."

"And you would teach me?"

Kyo looked like he really didn't want to bother with it, but it had been his idea. "Yeah. I'll do it after school or something."

"Oh thank you!" She exclaimed, practically throwing herself over the desk to hug him.

He grabbed her shoulders in time to stop her. "One: I don't hug." She nodded in understanding. "Two: I'm free tomorrow. So when do you want to do this thing?"

She thought for a moment. "I'll ask my uncle if you can come over tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Novalee wanted to get to her uncle before he had time to talk to Haylirain about school, but she didn't want to seem too anxious. She waited until just before supper, while Hayli was still in her room. She caught him as he was coming down the stairs. "Hey<br>Uncle Ronny!" She called out, with a smile.

"Yes Nova?"

"You know how you told me to get my math grade up." She said, a little too happy.

"Yes?" He looked at her suspiciously.

"Well, I figured out a way. I could get a tutor."

"That's a great idea."

"Yeah. I was wondering if he could come over tomorrow so we could work and we would be here so I couldn't get into any trouble or anything." She said quickly, looking up at him with hope in her blue eyes.

Her uncle pondered for a long time, much too long in her opinion, before answering. "Tomorrow is Friday." He stated.

"Yes?"

"This boy wants to spend his Friday afternoon teaching you math?" He seemed doubtful.

"I explained to him the situation and he said he was free to do it tomorrow."

Ronny stared at her, considering her words. "I suppose it's ok, but he better be teaching you math."

"Thank you!" She cried out, throwing her arms around her uncle.

* * *

><p>The next morning Novalee rushed to class. She spotted an orange mess and hurried over. "Kyo, my uncle said you could come over today!" She told him happily.<p>

"Yo Carrot Top, why are you going over to Nova-chan's place?" Uo demanded from him.

"Kyo, are you and Nova-chan dating?" Tohru asked, her big blue eyes wide.

"No!" Both parties cried in unison.

"Of course not. Kyo is tutoring me." Novalee informed them.

Tohru, Uo-chan, and Hanajima turned slowly to look at Kyo. Uo burst out laughing. "Carrot Top can't tutor. He's stupid." She managaed, through laughter.

"I think it's great Kyo." Tohru encouraged, lacing her fingers together with a smile. Kyo slammed his fist down on the desk with a growl, startling them.

Nova lowered her gaze. "Kyo...I'm sorry. If it's a problem..." she started.

"Don't worry about it." He said, turning his gaze away from the group.

"I can pay you if you want." She suggested.

"I said, don't worry about it!" He yelled, making her jump.

Kyo's orange head slammed into the desk, against his will. "If you are trying to help someone, try not yelling at them." Yuki said, standing behind Kyo, his eyes narrowed.

"Damnit! Stay out of my business rat!" Kyo yelled at him, jumping up.

"Did you just call him a rat?" Nova asked.

The two boys and Tohru all froze in place. "Gah..." Tohru squeaked. "Oh you know Kyo! Always yelling things he doesn't mean!" She rushed, her arms waving around.

Nova tried to stifle her giggles. "Out of all the insults in the world, that's what you call him." Everyone looked confused, causing Nova's laughter to overwhelm her.

"Ah yes, Kyo isn't very imaginative is he?" Yuki added, with a smirk. Kyo growled again and turned away from the group, resting his head on his hand. He looked up when Nova patted his hair with a smile and his frown softened.


	8. Chapter 8

It was lunchtime, Haylirain was sitting with Tenkai and Novalee was sitting with Shui. "Did you solve your math problem?" The white haired girl asked before taking a bite from her apple.

"Yeah. Kyo is going to tutor me." Nova replied, causing Shui to choke.

"What?! I heard that he is barely passing at all." She exclaimed, after regaining most of her composure.

"Why is everyone so surprised? Kyo's really smart."

"Hmm...I suppose."

After a few moments of the friends eating in silence, Nova surprised Shui by waving someone over to their table. "Hey Haru!"

The stone faced boy walked over. "Yo."

"Shui, this is Haru the boy I was talking about the other day. Haru, this is Shui. She's Chinese." Nova explained.

The gray eyed boy looked over to Shui, examining her. "Nice hair." He stated, making her face turn a bright shade of pink.

"T-Th-Thanks. Yous too." She replied. At this, Haru seemed satisfied and walked away. Novalee smirked at her friend. "What?" Shui asked, trying to hide her face

"Nothing." Novalee stated, triumphantly. "I wonder how old he is."

"Fifteen." Shui answered, without hesitation.

"How do you know that?" She was now looking at the Chinese girl with suspicion.

"I don't!" Shui hurried, covering her face once more in embarrassment. Novalee laughed at her friend, shaking her head as they finished their lunch.

* * *

><p>At the end of the day Kyo and Novalee met up with Hayli and they began their walk home. "Who's this?" Hayli asked, gesturing to Kyo and fixing the strap of her messenger bag.<p>

"This is my friend Kyo. Kyo this is my sister, Haylirain."

"I remember." He muttered.

"We're still grounded." Hayli commented.

"He's my tutor."

"What the hell!" Hayli yelled, going off on a tangent.

"Why are you grounded?" Kyo asked.

"Well, we stole our uncle's car and we got pulled over and Hayli had weapons so we went to jail." Nova admitted, guiltily.

Hayli giggled innocently as Kyo stared at the two wide eyed at the twins, possibly questioning their sanity. "Wow..." He managed.

"Yeah, but it was a one time thing." Novalee said, reassuring him.

"Maybe for you." Hayli commented, causing a punch to the arm from her sister.

Once they were home Nova grabbed a quick snack for Kyo and herself from the pantry before they started working. Kyo helped her in the living room until Ronny got home from work and interrupted them. "How is the tutoring going?" He asked sternly at the pair. Novalee looked to Kyo, unsure of the answer.

Kyo perked up looking up at Nova's uncle from his seat on the floor. "Pretty well sir. We hit a few rough patches but Lee seems to be getting the basic ideas for the most part." He replied, confidently.

A smile played at Ronny's lips. "That's good to hear. So 'Lee' when is the next session going to be?" He asked, acknowledging Kyo's nickname for his niece. Again, she turned to Kyo for the answer.

"Uh..." He thought aloud, rubbing the back of his orange head. "I know you're grounded and all so when would be good?"

"How about next Tuesday and Thursday?" Ronny suggested.

"Yeah that works for me."

"Now I assume Novalee has already offered to pay you for your tutoring services." Ronny asked, reaching for his wallet.

"Nah, it's fine. I don't need money." Kyo replied gruffly, his gaze on the ground.

"I see. We must repay you somehow. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"I couldn't impose."

"Nonsense." Ronny stated in a kind but firm tone that allowed no room for objection.

Dinner was slightly awkward. Ronny kept asking Kyo questions about his life, not in an interrogating way but still enough to be slightly intrusive. "Uncle Ronny!" Nova exclaimed, grabbing the blond man's attention. "He will be back. You don't have to know everything tonight."

"Well excuse me for trying to get to know the boy." He replied, then sighed. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." He told Kyo.

"It's fine sir." Kyo replied, picking at his plate, obviously uncomfortable.

"So Uncle Ronny, since Nova has a tutor can I have one too?" Haylirain asked, stealing the spotlight.

"Did you have someone in mind?" He asked.

"Tenkai."

"He is probably doing worse than you are!" Nova couldn't stop herself from exclaiming the rude comment.

"You don't know that."

"I'm just saying, he's probably not the best one to be teaching you anything."

"That's none of your business."

"Fine." Ronny agreed, causing everyone to look at him. "He can come over on Tuesday and we will see how it goes." He said, letting out a deep sigh.

"Thank you!" Hayli squealed and jumped up from her seat to give her uncle a hug.

* * *

><p>After dinner Novalee was saying her goodbye to Kyo. "Are you sure you don't want a ride home? It's no trouble." she stated.<p>

"It's not far, besides I like walking." He replied.

"If your sure. Umm... Kyo.. Thank you for doing this for me. I really appreciate it. And to be honest your the first real friend I've made here, so thank you for that too." She said with a small blush added to her smile.

His face began to match hers and he looked away. "No problem. I'll see you later."

"Bye Kyo. Be safe." Nova called out, closing the door behind him.

"So you two dating?" Nova turned to see Haylirain sitting on the living room couch, drawing on her leg with an ink pen.

"No. It's not like that. Kyo and I are just friends. Besides he's like a male version of you." Nova admitted with a chuckle.

Hayli glanced sideways to look at her sister. "Please, he will never be as awesome as I am." She said with a smirk.


	9. Chapter 9

The weekend went by surprisingly fast for the girls. Ronny allowed them to sleep in on Saturday. Novalee spent most of the evening reading in her room and Haylirain did something in her room suspiciously quiet for the majority of the day.

On Sunday by the time Novalee woke up and made her way to the kitchen she noticed a delicious smell. She discovered Hayli, hair in a messy bun and flour covered apron, busy making cupcakes. "What are these for?" Nova asked, looking at the couple dozen covering the counter tops.

"Just trying out some new recipes. Wanna help?" She asked, mixing some ingredients together in a large bowl.

"You know I'm horrible in a kitchen. But Ill gladly be your taste tester." She reached over and grabbed a pink cupcake and was suprised by the sweet lemonade taste. "You are way too good at this."

At that moment one of the house workers walked in, carrying the phone. "Miss Novalee, there is a phone call for you." She informed her.

Novalee looked over to Hayli, as if her sister knew who was calling for her. Even though she was still grounded she took the phone anyway. "Hello?"

"Hi Nova-chan. It's Tohru." Said a happy voice from the phone.

"Hey Tohru-chan. What's up?" She said, glad to hear from her friend.

"A group of us are having a picnic today and we were wondering if you and your sister would like to join us?"

Nova's heart fell. She really wanted to go out and see her friends, but she knew that Uncle Ronny would never allow it. "Who all is going?" She asked. This way she could at least imagine freedom.

"Uo, Hana, Kyo, Yuki, Haru, Momiji and a few others."

It sounded fun, making Nova want to go even more. "I'm sorry Tohru, but I'm Hayli and I are still grounded." She regretted every word coming out of her mouth.

"Oh." There was a sadness to Tohru's voice. "When you aren't grounded anymore would you like to go on a picnic?" Her voice now hopeful.

"Yes. That would be amazing." Nova said, appreciating her new friends.

"Good. We will have one to celebrate your new freedom." Nova could hear the smile in Tohru's voice.

Ronny walked through the kitchen door, causing Novalee to panic. "You're really awesome Tohru. I have to go. See you tomorrow." She rushed and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Ronny asked, grabbing one of the many cupcakes.

"Just some friends inviting me and Hayli to a picnic."

Hayli looked up, surprised. "Did you tell them you couldn't go because you broke the law." Ronny asked.

"Not in those words." Nova replied, unamused. She turned and looked at her sister "Do you mind if I take a few of these tomorrow?"

"Not at all. I have plenty."

* * *

><p>It wasn't until after lunch on Monday that the excited Novalee was able to give her friends their delicious presents. She pulled a tupperware container out of her sticker covered bag, smiling. "What do you have Nova-chan?" Tohru asked.<p>

"It's a present. I wanted to say thank you for inviting me to your picnic, even though I couldn't go." She opened the lid and the sweet smell of cupcakes wafted out, making her mouth water. She handed the container to Tohru to pass around.

"That's very kind of you." Hana commented, picking up a black licorice cupcake.

Kyo grabbed an orange flavored one and bit into it. "These are awesome. You should make them for the next picnic." He said, finishing it off and reaching for another.

Nova giggled. "I didn't make them. Hayli did. I can't bake to save my life."

"Your sister made these?" Uo-chan asked surprised, trying to imagine the goth skipping around the kitchen baking colorful cupcakes.

"Yep. She loves baking." Nova said proudly.

"Please make sure to thank her for us." Tohru, said happily.

Nova nodded and looked over to see Yuki walk in and head over to their little group. "Hi Yuki. My sister made yummy cupcakes. Would you like one?" She asked.

"My, they do look delicious." He said, eyeing them.

"They are." Kyo commented, through a mouth full of third cupcake.

"Do you have any manners at all. We are in the presence of ladies." Yuki lectured.

"They were made to be enjoyed and that's what I'm doing." Kyo retorted, reaching for another cupcake.

Yuki rolled his large purple eyes and turned back to Nova. "Which kind is your favorite?" He asked.

Nova blushed, taken off guard by his question. "Umm, I love the chocolate strawberry." She admitted, pointing it out.

"Then I'll have one of those." He said, gently picking one up and taking a bite. Nova watched to see if he liked it. "It's very good." he said smiling at her. "It's sweet, like you."

At the end of the day Nova and Haylirain met up at their usual spot to walk home together. Hayli was anxious about what Uncle Ronny had mentioned before they had left for school. "I really don't know what I'm going to do." She stressed, as they prepared to leave school grounds.

"What you're going to do about what?" Kyo asked, as he was passing by them.

"As part of my punishment for being fun I have to join a school club by the end of today. I don't know enough people to want to join their club and I don't like dealing with strangers." Hayli explained.

"What do you like?" He asked.

"Weapons." Hayli said.

"Fighting." Nova answered for her sister.

Kyo stared at Hayli for a long moment and then he smirked. "I may know just the thing."

* * *

><p>Hayli could barely contain her excitement until dinner when Uncle Ronny asked which club she had joined. "I went to talk to the Kendo teacher. He wants me to come in on Wednesday to see if I make the cut."<p>

"That's wonderful. I know you will make it. Kendo club huh? I wish I had thought of that."

"It was actually Kyo's idea."

"Kyo? As in Nova's tutor Kyo? He isn't going to become a part of this family anytime soon is he?" He said, giving the girls a stern look.

"No! That's gross!" Nova exclaimed.

"No way, besides I have Tenkai." Hayli commented, still beaming with pride at the thought of getting to beat people up at school. She couldn't wait to tell Tenkai about her new extracurricular.


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket only the OC"S_

**Sorry this chapter is so short. The next one will be a lot longer because there will be more happening. I hope you like it.**

Tuesday after school Hayli walked to the wall separating the sidewalk from the school grounds, where she normally met up with Novalee. Though it wasn't her sister she found. Sitting on the wall was the orange haired Kyo and he wasn't alone. Laying along the wall and climbing all over him were several cats. A look of irritation was planted firmly on his face. This didn't seem to bother the cats though, as a large brown one strutted over and plopped down on Kyo's lap, receiving a glare from the boy in return. "You seem to be pretty popular." Hayli remarked as she walked over.

"It's not by choice. Trust me." He replied, attempting to shoo the oblivious cats away in a failed attempt.

"What? How can you not like cats. They're beautiful." She said, picking up a black one and cradling it in her arms.

"They're stupid." Kyo replied sourly as he pushed the brown one away.

"That's not true." She told him, playing with the one in her arms. "They are intelligent and so much better than dogs." She giggled as the cat swatted playfully at her hand. Kyo stared at her, saying nothing.

"Hey guys, sorry i'm late." Nova called out as she jogged up to the pair, smiling at the sight. "You ready to go?"

"Not yet. We have to wait for Tenkai." Hayli remarked absentmindedly, as she scratched the black cats ear.

"Tenkai?" Kyo inquired.

"Yeah. Hayli's new boyfriend is tutoring her now." Nova explained, irritated. "I forgot he was coming too."

"I wouldn't need a tutor if I had one of these little guys." Hayli said, still playing with the cat.

"What do you mean?" Kyo questioned, a slight tilt to his head.

"I love when cats lay on my lap. It's the only time I'll read a book, because I don't want to move around and disturb it." She said with a chuckle and smiling from the cat to Kyo.

* * *

><p>"I think i'm going to puke." Novalee commented.<p>

"Why?" Kyo asked her, looking concerned.

"Just look at them, she said with a disgusted face. Haylirain and Tenkai were on the opposite side of the library. The couples version of studying consisted of giggling, whispering, and making out. Not only was it distracting for, who was actually trying to learn, but she already disliked Tenkai immensely and hated that he was making out with her sister in their home.

"Try not to let it get to you Lee." Kyo encouraged, though he was just as distracted as she was.

There was a knock on the door and Ronny walked in. "Hey kids, how is the studying going?" They all replied with forms of 'good'. "Great. Well it's time for dinner. Would you boys like to stay and eat with us?"

"Hell yeah! Free food!" Tenkai agreed immediately.

"I think I'm going to head home." Kyo said uneasily, as he started to pack his things up.

"Are you sure?" Nova asked, slightly disappointed.

"Yeah, but i'll be back Thursday and I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye Lee."

Nova couln't wait for the evening to end. Dinner had consisted of mostly Tenkai telling stories about his tattoos and how tough he was with gangs after him. Hayli was practically drooling the whole time. Uncle Ronny was being polite while trying to finish dinner as soon as possible, which Nova was thankful for. As soon as her head hit the pillow that night she let out a sigh of relief. At least tomorrow would be better.


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: As much as I want to, I do not own Fruits Basket._

**_I'm so happy that the two people who inspired me to write this story really like it. It's what keeps me writing.^^ Also any comments or suggestions are very much welcome._**

Novalee rolled over groaning. She could hear Hayli throwing things around on the other side of the wall. She made a mental note to move her bed to the opposite side of the room when she got a chance. Sighing she rolled out of bed and changed into her school uniform with a pair of red tights. Grabbing her bag she headed downstairs into the kitchen. She fixed herself a bagel with cream cheese fro breakfast and sat at the table. Before she could take a bite it was snatched away from her. Turning she saw Haylirain in her black straight jacket hoodie, school uniform skirt and boots, eating Nova's bagel. "I was going to eat that." Nova told her.

"That sounds like a personal problem." Hayli said with a shrug. Before Nova could reply Uncle Ronny came down the stairs, rushing the girls out so they would not be late for school.

* * *

><p>Nova could hardly wait for lunch. As soon as the bell rang she was one of the first in the cafeteria, beating Shui for the first time. "You ok?" the white haired girl asked, sitting down and pulling out her lunch.<p>

"I missed breakfast, thank to Hayli and I'm starving." She took another bite of her own lunch before turning her gaze to the lunch crowd. She noticed Hayli walking in with Tenkai. As soon as Hayli got her lunch, he claimed it for himself making her go back through the line. "What a jerk!" Nova exclaimed. She must have been too loud because Tenkai looked over. When he noticed Nova watching he walked over to Hayli, kissed her and then smacked her on the butt, shooting Nova a devilish smirk. Novalee was fuming. She hated this guy!

"You look like you're about to murder someone." Shui commented, staring wide eyed.

"I wish it were that easy to get rid of him."

* * *

><p>After her last class Nova rushed to Hayli's classroom. "Hey."<p>

"Hey whats up?" Hayli asked, shouldering her messenger bag.

"I need to talk to you...about Tenkai." Nova said hesitantly.

"What about him?" Hayli's brows furrowed.

Nova took a deep breath. "I think he is a bad influence on you and I really don't like him." She felt a huge weight life. She hadn't realized that not telling her sister how she felt was bothering her so much.

"What are you talking about? Tenkai's great!" She defended.

"He treats you horrible. He doesn't respect you or me or Uncle Ronny. He had been nothing but trouble since you met him!"

Hayli's blue eyes narrowed on her sister. "That's not true! He has been nothing but kind. He hasn't talked shit about you like you're doing to him. I think that you're just jealous because I don't need you anymore! You always act so perfect and you think me dating Tenkai is going to ruin you perfect little image!" Hayli spat, taking a step closer.

"I'm trying to look out for you! He's bad news!" Why couldn't she understand?

"You're not looking out for me!" Hayli scoffed. "You're only looking out for yourself! Quite acting so damn righteous!" Hayli shouted, before storming down the hall.

Nova stared after Haylirain in pure shock. This isn't at all what she had imagined. Her sister was stubborn, but she wasn't dumb. Why couldn't she see that she was just trying to look out for her. Frustrated, she slammed her back against the wall. Tenkai was going to destroy Hayli and there was nothing she could do about it. Her eyes began to sting and a lump formed in her throat. She slid down the wall and pulled her knees to her chest as she burst into sobs.

* * *

><p>Hayli stormed into the girls locker room, throwing her bag down. What the hell was Nova's problem? Couldn't she see that Tenkai made her happy! She was fuming as she stomped around the locker room grabbing the Kendo uniform. Her jaw was clenched as she changed into a keikogi and hakama. Nova had become so self absorbed that Hayli couldn't even have her own friends. Maybe she was just jealous. Tenkai was so perfect and Nova wanted him for herself. Yeah, that was it! Hayli marched into the gymnasium, grabbing a shinai. She refused to let Nova ruin her first real relationship and destroy her happiness. Hayli stood across from her opponent, readying the bamboo sword. She was going to prove to everyone that she could take care of herself!<p>

* * *

><p>Nova was still crying into her arms when she heard a soft voice ask, "need a shoulder?" She lifted her head to see Yuki kneeling down in front of her.<p>

Embarrassed, she wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for anyone to see me like this." She said, looking everywhere but at the boy in front of her.

"Never apologize for something you feel so strongly about." His voice was gentle, but assertive, grabbing her attention and making her blush. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Nova let out a sigh. "It's Hayli. I'm really worried about her. She's dating a guy who is nothing but trouble and we got into a fight and I don't know what to do." She was holding back more tears.

"I've never had a sister, but I do live with Kyo. In my experience you just have to be patient. You can't live her life for her. She knows how you feel. All you can do now is be there for her." He said with an encouraging smile.

"Thank you Yuki. You're a great friend." She smiled back. She had the urge to hug the kind boy, but the thought only made her blush.

He stood up and held his hand out to help her up. She accepted his help and dusted off her skirt. "Are you going to be alright?" His purple eyes stared into her blue ones.

She nodded, blushing again."I'll be ok. Actually I should be worried about you. You said you live with Kyo." she chuckled.

"Indeed I do. He is my cousin. You shouldn't be worried about me though. I'm tougher than I look." He smiled, making her giggle.

"I don't doubt that." Nova let out a deep sigh, realizing how late it had gotten. "I should probably head home. My uncle is going to kill me."

"Would you like some company?" He inquired, tilting his head slightly.

"I would love some. Thank you Yuki. You're the best."


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, only the OC's_

**_Be warned, this is one of my darker chapters but I feel like it really says a lot about the characters. Hope you like it._**

"Hey, how did Kendo go?" Haylirain looked up from staring at the ground as she walked and noticed Kyo sitting on a wall, smiling at her.

"Oh, it went really great. Thank you for telling me about it. I am officially a memeber of the Kendo club." she said returning a sad smile.

"Are you alright?" He asked, hopping off the wall, brows furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, of course." She said in her best fake happy voice and smiled like she didn't have a care in the world. It was pretty convincing too.

"Lee told me about the fight you two had." Kyo informed her.

Hayli huffed. "Just great! She's telling everyone our business." She spat. Perfect, now Kyo and everyone was going to think she was such a horrible person.

"She told me because she was upset and worried about you." Hayli rolled her eyes. "She's not the only one." He was staring at her, his dark orange eyes boring into her. She shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I don't know you that well, but I consider you a friend. So if you ever need to talk or something, I'm here."

Hayli looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time. She didn't know what to say to the strange orange haired boy. "I..."

Kyo's gaze shifted to something behind her. "Hey babe." Tenkai greeted her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to his body.

* * *

><p>Novalee let out a sigh. She had been working on the same math problem for what seemed like an eternity and was getting no where. She could tell that Kyo was getting impatient and it was causing her more frustration. "I don't see why there are letters when it's a freaking number problem." She exclaimed, turning her paper over. "Oh and look, now im out of freaking paper!' She really hated math. She threw her pencil down."<p>

"Calm down Lee. You'll get it. You have improved a lot. Go get some paper and I'll help you solve it."

Nova looked away. "I don't want to chance running into Hayli and _him_." She said, saying the latter name in disgust.

"Ok. Ill go get some. Where is it?"

"In my room at the top of the stairs. There should be a notebook on the desk."

Kyo walked out of the library and down the hallway. When he reached the top of the stairs he noticed that there were two doors instead of just one. He tried to remember which room was Lee's and realized he had no idea. He considered going back and asking her, but decided she was stressed enough. Taking his best guess he opened the door on the left. Kyo's jaw went slack and he took a small step backwards. Tenkai was leaning over Hayli on her bed, her shirt off and his tongue in her mouth. Hayli moaned as her hands roamed over his bare back eagerly. Kyo slammed the door shut, trying to remove the image from his head. He tried to take a deep breath, his chest feeling heavy. His stomach was doing flips and he felt like he was going to vomit. Why the hell did he feel this way?What did he care if that egotistical bastard was making out with Hayli. It was none of his business. Kyo felt the ground giving out under him. He clenched his jaw and shut his eyes tight to steady himself. Why was he feeling like this!? Lashing out, he threw his fist into the nearest wall. Cursing himself he stormed down the hall to the library.

Nova was moving along with her math problems when the door slammed open. "I have to go."Kyo growled, grabbing his bag and turning on his heel.

Nova jumped up "Kyo, what's wrong? Are you ok!?"

He stopped, his back to her, head hung "No." Then he rushed off, leaving Nova staring after him.

* * *

><p>Hayli's door slammed shut, causing her to push Tenkai away in fear of her uncle being home early. "Who was that?" She said, heart racing.<p>

"I think it was yours sisters friend."Tenkai replied, still trying to kiss her.

"We should probably actually start studying." She said leaning up.

"Oh come on baby." He kissed her. "You know you like it." he said with a devlish smirk that normally made her knees weak.

"Yeah but I can't afford to get caught." She informed him. He kissed her again, shoving his tongue into her mouth. She tried to pull back, but he was leaning forward the more she pulled away. She pushed her hand against his chest and managed to get her mouth free. "Tenkai. Stop."

"Come on babe. Don't be such a tease." He reached down, running his hand along her side and down to the button on her pants in an attempt to unfasten it.

She pushed his hand away. "I said stop." She said firmly.

"Yeah and I told you not to be a tease." he said reaching for the button again.

Angry she shoved him away and jumped up from the bed. "You need to leave. Now." She glared at him, her body tense.

He stared at her with those cold blue eyes and shook his head as he grabbed his shirt and headed out the door, slamming it behind him.

* * *

><p>It was after dinner when one of the workers brought Nova the phone. Hoping it was Kyo and he had some sort of explanation as to what happened earlier, she took the call. "Hello?" she asked.<p>

"Hi Nova."

"Mom? How are you?" Nova asked, uneasily.

"Oh, you know, working as always. I'm trying to catch up on the bills. I'm hoping the electric doesn't get turned off. I don't get paid again until next week."

"I thought you were making enough money to be ok."

"Yeah but things come up. How is your father doing? Is he alright?" She asked, her voice becoming hopeful.

"I don't know. I see Uncle Ronny more than I see him."

"Oh." she sounded disappointed. "Does he still own that company?" Her mother inquired.

"Yeah."

"Does he get free stuff?"

"I don't know. Why?" Nova asked, suspicious about her mothers questions.

"Just wondering." She paused for a long moment. "Is your father seeing anyone?"

"I don't think so. All he does is work."

"That's good." There was a long silence between them.

"Hayli has a boyfriend." Nova said, trying to make conversation.

"Oh well she is going to end up pregnant and on the streets."

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"She has always liked getting into trouble."

"She isn't like that. She is doing a lot better now. She is going to school every day and she is making friends."

"We'll see how long that lasts." she retorted.

Nova was biting her tongue, furious with her mother. "Are you drinking again?" she asked, hatefully.

Her mother took a long time to answer. "What kind of question is that to ask the woman who gave birth to you?"

"I thought you stopped drinking."

"Nova, there are things in this world that you don't understand."

"I have to go. Bye Mom." Nova said, unable to listen any longer. She stared at the phone a long time before letting out a sigh. She returned the phone to its charger and went to her room, not even noticing the hole in the wall next to her door.


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of its characters. I only own my characters and all their weirdness._

**Happy Chinese New Year (2-19-15) In honor of the year of the ram there is a special guest appearance. Enjoy^^**

It was nearing the end of the school day on Friday and Novalee didn't even notice. "Psst! Lee!" She heard a whisper shout, finally shaking out of her daze. She turned to the sound of the voice to see Kyostaring at her. "Are you alright?" He mouthed, silently. She nodded. His orange eyes narrowed on her and he frowned.

"I'm fine." She defended.

"Then why did it take thirty minutes to get your attention?" he whispered harshly, gesturing toward her desk. She looked around her desk and noticed tiny paper balls surrounding her. He had been trying to get her attention for a while. She looked back at him for a moment and then turned back to whatever the teacher was rambling about.

When the bell rang, hands slammed down on her desk making her jump. "What's with you?" Kyo demanded.

"What do you mean?" she asked, plainly.

"You! You're not happy. You have hardly said two words to anyone today. Everyone's worried about you!" He pointed to the door where Tohru, Yuki, Hana and Uo-Chan were all standing, trying to give her some privacy.

"I just have a lot on my mind. It's nothing. I promise." She said with a fake smile in a fake happy voice. This only seemed to make Kyo angrier.

"Damnit Lee! Don't pull that fake happy shit with me!" his head slammed into her desk with Yuki glaring from behind him.

"What did I tell you about yelling at people you are trying to help." Yuki's soft voice made him even more scary when he was mad.

Novalee stared wide eyed at the pair as they began to argue. She sighed and walked to the door.

"Nova-chan!" Tohru called out as she began to pass by them.

"I'm fine." She said, fake smiling again. She looked down as Tohru grabbed her hand. She looked from her hand and back to the group. Yuki and Kyo had stopped fighting and everyone was watching her with worried expressions. Her heart sank. She took a deep breath. "It's a long story and I have to go home, which is the last place I want to be right now."

"Why don't you come home with us?" Tohru suggested.

"I don't want to impose." She admitted.

"You are never an imposition." Kyo replied.

"So you're not still mad at me?" Nova's gaze was on the floor.

"Why the hell would I be mad at you?" Everyone was staring at Kyo now.

"Yesterday at my house. You just ran out and wouldn't talk to me." Nova said, upset.

"I was just dealing with some things." his cheeks flushed. "but I'm not mad at you."

Nova finally agreed to go home with Tohru, even though she knew she would get into trouble for it. Yuki and Kyo even walked with them. They all walked mostly in silence. When they reached the house Nova asked the boys where they lived, assuming it was close by.

Tohru began to chuckle nervously. "Actually it's a funny story."

Nova looked to the boys for an explanation. "Tohru lives with us. We found her living in a tent nearby so we agreed to let her stay with us." Yuki explained.

Nova looked back to Tohru with a mix of emotions. The door to the house slammed open, grabbing her attention. A man with black hair and a gray kimono emerged, greeting them with a smile, until he saw Novalee. "Ohmygawditsyou!" She exclaimed.

"So we meet again?" He said with a smirk.

"I'm so sorry!" Nova pleaded.

"You're sister isn't with you is she?" He asked, looking around to see if Hayli was hiding close by.

"Wait a second! What's going on?" Kyo demanded. Shigure began chuckling.

"Ummm... well Hayli and I went to a business party with our Dad and Hayli threw a chair at Shigure because he wouldn't stop flirting with her." Nova explained, sheepishly.

"What the hell you damn pervert!" Kyo yelled at the man.

"So you two know each other." Tohru finally concluded.

"I am so sorry." Yuki told her sincerely, patting her shoulder.

"As pleasant as this reunion is." Shigure said, "May I ask why are you here?"

"Tohru invited me over to her house. Why are you here?"

"This is my house." Nova's jaw dropped at his response. What had she gotten herself into?"

* * *

><p>Hayli sat on the swingset at the park, dragging her foot in the dirt. She knew she should have gone straight home after school but she didn't feel like facing her family at the moment and wasn't entirely sure what to say to Nova, considering they hadn't spoken in two days. Hayli lifted her head at the sound of someone sitting on another swing, causing it to creak. There was a boy a few years younger than herself with light brown hair. His brown eyes were glaring at her, causing her to be taken aback. "What?" he demanded.<p>

"What do you mean what?"

"Why are you looking at me?"

"All I did was look over!" She shrieked.

He paused, looking at her suspiciously. "Aren't you a little old to be playing at a park."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "Aren't you a little young to be mouthing off and picking fights." she retorted. The truth was she had been the same way when she was his age.

"What's your problem old lady?" he asked, not backing down.

She let out a huff. "You're too young to understand." She dug the toe of her boot into the dirt.

"Don't act like you know anything about me." His voice was soft but sounded like he knew something about the world that she didn't know.

"I just broke up with my boyfriend." She told him.

"If you are so upset about it, then why did you do it?"

"Well...because he wasn't who I thought he was."

"People are rarely who they appear to be on the surface." He was no longer looking at her but seemed to be focused on something else entirely.

"My sister and I got into a fight about him."

"Then it sounds like your sister cares about you." He looked back to her. "And is a better judge of character than you are."

Hayli let out a chuckle. "You're a brat."

He smiled back. "And you're too old to be harassing a middle schooler."

"Hiro!" A soft happy voice called out.

They both tuned to see a young girl with golden hair and light brown eyes jogging towards them. "Hi Kisa." He mumbled.

"Did you make a new friend?" She asked, smiling up at Hayli.

"No." he replied.

"This brat was just helping me realize some things." Hayli said, standing and ruffling Hiro's hair.

"Aww, Hiro that's so kind of you." Kisa looked up at him admirably. He looked away embarrassed. Hayli smiled at the pair and watched for a moment as they talked happily before she headed home, her heart light.


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or its characters. I only own my Oc's_

Novalee sat at the table at Tohru's no..Kyo's, no... Yuki... Shigure's...someones living room. Kyo, Yuki and Tohru sat silently as they watched her taking awkward sips of her tea. Shigure cleared his throat from the hallway, although she wasn't supposed to know he was eavesdropping. Though at this point there was nothing to eavesdrop on since no one had directly asked her why she was feeling down. After arriving at Kyo's house...ok just thinking of being in Kyo's house was weird. After arriving at Tohru's house, Nova had called her uncle and partially explained what was going on. He had been rather displeased, but accepted that she needed some time away. Now she sat dreading explaining her whole personal life to her friends, like some bad soap opera.

"Lee?" Nova looked up from her cup at Kyo's voice. He grimaced, as if concern somehow caused him pain.

"Yes Kyo?" Nova replied, as if she had no clue what he wanted.

"We are worried about us what's wrong?"

She said nothing, not entirely sure how she felt at the moment. She was calm on the outside, but on the inside she was trying desperately to sort through her mixture of emotions. She took a deep breath and felt her breathing become ragged. She steadied herself, letting out a whisper. "I can't."

"You can't what? Tell us?" Kyo inquired.

She shook her head. "I can't do it all by myself." She choked on a sob, but refused to cry.

"You're not alone." Tohru encouraged.

"We are here for you." Yuki told her, smiling sadly.

"You don't understand." Nova replied, looking away in dismay.

"Then tell us." Kyo stated.

"I can't take care of everything by myself." She paused "I though things would get better moving to Japan. I mean they couldn't get much worse, but the only things that have happened is Hayli and I have disagreed on everything and we've gotten arrested and her whole future has been compromised because of a stupid boy!" She looked up at her friends. Kyo's jaw and fists were clenched. Yuki and Tohru looked stunned. "I've never fought with her this long and there is nothing I can do to help her." She whimpered.

"What about your family?" Tohru asked, hopeful.

Nova scoffed. "The only that cares is Uncle Ronny and he has enough to deal with. Dad couldn't care less what happens to us. We go days without seeing him. Sometimes I wonder if he even remembers that we're his children...Mom called for the first time since we moved here, almost a month ago."

"That's good though, right?" Tohru realizd from Nova's scowl that it wasn't good.

"She didn't even ask how I was. I don't know why I thought she would. She basically called to ask for money and ask about Dad who doesn't want anything to do with her or her drinking. That's all she cares about." After admitting it aloud Nova broke down in tears. Tohru crawled over, pulling her into a hug. Yuki and Kyo shared uncomfortable glances. Nova reached out, taking Kyo's hand in hers. He tensed for a moment and then gave her a reassuring squeeze. She cried harder. Tohru said nothing, simply holding her close. After a few minutes Nova raised her gaze to Yuki, sitting across from her. He looked as much of an emotional mess as her. He wasn't crying but he looked hurt, angry and confused, just on the surface. "Are you ok Yuki?" She asked, between sobs.

His face softened. "You're the one crying and you're asking me if i'm ok?" He smiled gently. "You are amazing."

Nova looked at him with wide eyes, her face flushing even more.

"He's right you know. You are amazing." Kyo chimed in."

Nova let out a soft chuckle. "Did you two actually agree on something?"

Kyo and Yuki exchanged confused glances "No!" Kyo retorted. Tohru giggled at the odd pair.

"Weirdos" Nova muttered under her breath, shaking her head with a smile. "I think I need some air." She said, releasing herself from Tohru;s arms and attempting to stand. She stumbled and Kyo and Yuki were at her side instantly. "Careful." Kyo said.

Yuki brushed her hand against her arm, ready to catch her. "You need to rest for a moment" she sat back down slowly. "I'll get you some water." He told her and walked into the kitchen.

She looked at Kyo and Tohru sitting on both sides of her. "You guys are the best." She smiled, wrapping her arms around her friends and pulling them in close for a hug.

* * *

><p>Haylirain was disappointed to find Novalee wasn't home. She had been anxious to talk to her sister. Instead of moping around and waiting she headed to her room to clean it. She had a newfound energy she hadn't experienced in a while. She knew that she should be upset about the break up with Tenkai and in a way she was. It was the end of something, even if it was toxic. It would be difficult but she would make a friend. Heck, everyone couldn't be bad, right? She heard Uncle Ronny come home and she rushed downstairs, greeting him with a hug.<p>

"Hi Hayli, are you feeling alright" He asked, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand, fearing she might be sick.

"I'm great Uncle Ronny." She said with a smile and hugged him again, "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, hugging her back. With that she skipped back upstairs.

* * *

><p>Nova pulled Kyo in close for a hug and there was a large puff of smoke. She stared back at an orange cat. Her smile turned to astonishment. Her jaw dropped at her brain attempted to come up with some sort of explanation. Suddenly Tohru's face was in front of hers "What cat?!" She exclaimed, waving her arms around. Nova turned, looking for Kyo to give her some answers. Instead she saw Yuki leaped from the other side of the room, snatched the cat up and threw it. It hit Shigure in the face as he walked in wearing a goofy grin. Tohru jumped up, ran over, tripped and crashed right into Shigure and the angry cat. Another puff of smoke and the cat was sprawled out on the face of a black dog. Tohru screamed and attempted to hide the two animals behind her. "Nothing to see here." She laughed supsiciously.<p>

"Oh my, this is quite the predicament." The dog pondered, pushing the cat away. Novalee stood and turned to Yuki. They stared at each other for a moment before she leaned into his thin frame. Another puff of smoke and she was staring down at a small gray rat. She let out a yelp and turned on her heel. Tripping over her feet she fell, hitting her head on the corner of the table.


End file.
